A: I began my career as a journalist. While reporting on a story in Honduras for The Florida Times-Union, I came face-to-face with the reality of poverty in a developing country and decided I wanted to do something about it. That put me on a long journey that culminated when I became CEO of AmeriCares in January.

Q: What were some of the hurdles you faced?

A: Confronting the reality of endemic poverty and disease around the world can be daunting. At times, these problems seem so large and the solutions so far away that it is tempting to walk away to do something else. At those moments, I remember the parable of the starfish. A young boy walking down a beach littered with starfish picks up one and throws it back to the sea. When asked whether saving one starfish really matters, the boy says: "It matters to that one." It is true that we can't help everyone. But at AmeriCares, we help thousands of people every day and it matters to them.

Q: What are some of the lessons you learned along the way?

A: People die every day from easily treatable diseases. Imagine this: diarrheal disease is still one of the biggest killers of children around the world. What I have learned is that we can do something about that. It does not have to be that way. But, I have also learned that, ultimately, it is the local health workers and health institutions that will make the difference. Our job is to help them do theirs even better. That is why we provide medicines they would otherwise not have, training they need and other means of support so they can be effective.

Q: How has technology transformed the way nonprofits like AmeriCares handle large-scale emergency responses?

A: We manage $500 million of medicines and medical supplies every year. They are donated to us by generous corporate partners. Our job is to get them to the far reaches of the world to people who otherwise lack access to medical treatment. Without strong technological systems, ensuring all of this valuable medicine gets to the right place at the right time would be impossible. During emergencies, satellite phones and the internet have made a huge difference in areas where communications have been cut off.

Q: Describe your typical day at work.

A: I am not sure there is a typical day, but I have the privilege of leading a team of about 150 staff in Stamford and another 150 spread out around the globe. Interacting with them on a daily basis is a joy. I also spend a significant amount of time engaging with our external stakeholders -- donors, corporate partners, peer professionals and others. A big part of my job is to share our story so that more people will be motivated to help us help people in crisis around the world.

Q: How would you describe your management style? Who are your role models?

A: My role models are not the typical ones. They are instead a nurse caring for people in an impoverished community in Honduras, an Anglican bishop putting his life on the line for people who suffered years of civil conflict in northern Uganda, a young woman elected as a village chief in Liberia who is trying to transform her community. From them I have learned that true leadership includes passion, service to others and an attitude to keep at it no matter the odds.

Q: Care to share an interesting interaction you recently had with someone who has been helped by AmeriCares?

A: On a recent trip to Haiti, I met a group of young people working for a local nonprofit providing health services in a slum community. We were helping them launch a project to stop cholera, which is killing far too many Haitians. The project was bringing clean water and improved sanitation -- the best strategy to combat cholera -- to the community. Our work is to help them do their work even better. Seeing their commitment to help their own community was a great inspiration.

Q: Where do you see AmeriCares five years from now?

A: We plan to significantly expand our work over the next five years in the areas of emergency response and global health programs. Our goal is to save many more lives and build healthier futures for many more people who face crises caused by disaster and poverty.